


Plugged In

by DigitalGhost



Category: The LEGO Ninjago Movie (2017)
Genre: Angst, Depression, Feels, Gen, Mental Illness, Mental Illnesses, Suicide, Zane Feels, aka how he became a robot, movie zane needs attention and love, movie zane's backstory, this is why he's always like "im a normal human teenager"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-01
Updated: 2018-05-01
Packaged: 2019-04-30 21:12:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14505591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigitalGhost/pseuds/DigitalGhost
Summary: When Zane is always saying how he is a human teenager to the others, he's actually trying to convince himself of that fact.





	Plugged In

Zane often tried to tell everyone, but no one listened. They all just ignored his comments, laughed at his jokes, and insisted behind his back that he was a robot.

Well, he wasn’t. At least, not originally.

It had happened in the early parts of his 8th grade year, so a little while ago, but it had begun even before that.

Diving deep into the memories of his hard drive, he knew he had been at least somewhat depressed for as long as he could remember. For varying reasons throughout the years, from little or no friends, him being bullied for being so smart, or just feeling unheard.

Now, he had only met his ninja friends in high school, as he and his mom had moved from a different town after eighth grade. So, what the other ninja didn’t know is that he had once been human.

Back in seventh grade, he was still human. He did all the normal things humans did, even wear glasses to help him see! But what also occured in seventh grade was that his mother, a brilliant scientist, and his father, a magnificent artist, got a divorce. They made the decision for him that he would live with his mother, since she had a more stable career that could support a growing child.

It made sense, but Zane still didn’t have a choice.

And so, young Zane’s depression only got worse from there. He began to think (more) negatively about himself, cut his wrists, and lie to his mother about how school was that day, or if he’d eaten, or why he had marks on his arms.

Zane remembered not-too-fondly how he kept slipping deeper and deeper into a deep darkness, an abyss which held no light, until there was just nothing left.

A few weeks after the end of his last year of middle school, Zane ended his miserable life. With a gun, if his memory bank served correct.

The following Autumn, his first year at Ninjago High School, the few people who dared be friendly with Zane remarked on how odd he was. His blue eyes seemed to glow, his movements were exact and precise, and however smart the top student was, he seemed to be triple that amount

“It’s like you’re a robot!” They would laugh and joke.

But it was true.

Following his suicide, Zane’s genius mother got a hold of his dead body. It was still fresh enough that she could duplicate some of the information contained in his mind. Keeping in mind, however, that the local police knew she was no longer a mother, she moved to Ninjago City, where they would not only get a clean slate, but also be safer from Garmadon’s attacks. (Safer, but still not very safe). Zane thought she even contacted Zane’s father to help with the design of their 2.0 son.

His mother had recovered some of his memories, but not all. Knowing full well what he had done before, she programmed him to be relatively cheerful, making jokes, fooling around, and being a regular teenager.

But sometimes, when Zane dug deep enough, he remembered those dark times of his life. The cut wrists, uneaten food, the deep breath in and out before the pull of the trigger.

These experiences always hung over him, like a vulture waiting for its prey to perish so it could feast at last. He could not forget them, as his mother did not intend him to tamper with his memories, nor could he do anything about it. Sure, he could cut his wrists, skip a couple meals, perhaps even chop off a whole limb, but he would feel nothing. No pain. Had his mother, perhaps, intended that?

When others looked into his eyes, did they not see how dead and lifeless they were? How he himself was?

Some might consider being in the body of a robot to be quite fun, but Zane disagreed. He was trapped in this vessel, unable to escape and be rid of the “precious” thing that was life.

But who asked him? No one. Best to just go with the program, and ignore everything else.

**Author's Note:**

> me: ill post a good story soon i promise  
> me @ me: lmao bitch  
> tell me if you like btw


End file.
